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Orla Benson Postgraduate Research Scholarship at DCU supports cancer research
This year's Orla Benson Postgraduate Research Scholarship has been awarded to Ms Claire Morgan, a postgraduate research student in the School of Biotechnology at Dublin City University.
The annual scholarship, worth €2,500, was established in memory of Orla Benson, a DCU Biotechnology student from Killarney, who was tragically killed in Boston in September 1995. She had been working in the United States during the summer months and was preparing to return to DCU for her graduation in the autumn. Orla's family worked with the DCU Educational Trust to establish the scholarship and hope that it will provide a lasting legacy for her dedication and love of biotechnology.
The scholarship provides support for one DCU researcher each year who demonstrates outstanding potential in the field of study so much loved by Orla. It allows the researcher to develop a particular aspect of their research at a university abroad, where they can establish international links to facilitate research co-operation.
This year's recipient is Ms Claire Morgan, who was awarded the scholarship in recognition of her research in the area of animal evolution and its potential connections to the fight against cancer in humans. Claire is in the final year of her PhD and is looking forward to using the funds provided by the scholarship to travel to a conference in the USA as well as a second visit to London to meet with key peer researchers in the coming months.
Claire's research, which has involved extensive international collaboration, looks at the innate immune system and cancer pathways of mammals from extreme environments. Claire has been working on methods to allow scientists to more effectively model human diseases through a better understanding of mammal evolution.
She will be using some of the funds afforded to her via the scholarship to present her findings at conferences in the United States and in London as well as meeting and working with international experts in the field of molecular evolution. Claire has also begun compiling research on the DNA of whales and her travels will help her to identify ways to further this research. Whale evolution is extremely important as these animals have evolved their DNA allowing them to avoid developing cancer altogether or to supress it effectively. By looking at whale DNA, this group hope they can identify "hot spots" in the genes involved in DNA repair that can be further studied in humans to fight against cancer.
To learn more about the Orla Benson Scholarship please contact Claire Whelehan in the DCU Educational Trust on 01 700 8639 or email claire.whelehan@dcu.ie